Passed down the generations like a much-loved heirloom,
urban legends are not only a way of sharing in the history of a place but also
making it a little more interesting than it really is. Like you would your
Instagram or Tinder profile.

Take, for example, the ghost diver of Sydney Harbour.
According to the Very Scientific show The Extraordinary, old Ghosty MgGhost lives a mere 10 metres
below the surface of our nation’s most iconic harbour. Local diver Eric
Buchanan first spotted the spook while inspecting newly-laid underwater cables.
As the theory goes, the diver was one of several fatalities that occurred
during the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. (Gramarye/Flickr)

Jack the Ripper lived in Melbourne

While most scholars admit that they don’t know what happened
to the infamous White Chapel murderer, one creative thinker has posed the
possibility that he left Ol’ Blighty in favour for the colonies.

In 2009, Melbourne academic Dr Geoff Crawford said that he had uncovered evidence suggesting Jack The
Ripper had moved to the Melbourne suburb of Windsor where he went by the name
of Frederick Bailey Deeming. Deeming had been arrested in 1892 after murdering
his wife. During their investigations, police found the bodies of Deeming’s
previous wife and their four children. (Wikimedia Commons)

The Satanists of Perth

Because nothing’s better for
tourism than a thriving community of devil worshippers who love a good
sacrifice. According to this legend, Kings Park in Perth isn’t just home to a
lovely view of the city but also a charming bunch of Satanists.

Fed by the occasional death of
homeless people in and around the park, conspirators claim that Satanist groups
organize these annual murders as a way of sustaining their power. But WWBD? (loloieg/Flickr)

4 of 8Attribution: https://www.flickr.com/photos/wwworks/5651789490/

The wild panthers of Western Sydney

Ever wondered where the Penrith
Panthers got their name? It’s not like these masters of stealth are in any way
indicative of their talents as a football team. Maybe it has something to do
with the so-called giant, phantom cats of the Blue Mountains.

Reported to have stalked the Blue
Mountains for close to 80 years, mysterious big cats have been accused of shredding
livestock and pets since the 1930s, with the latest sighting as recently as
2013. We wonder if they’ll give Pickle an exclusive? (woodleywonderworks/Flickr)

Sydney's subterranean world

If Sydney’s traffic and
impossible-to-navigate-streets weren’t horrible enough, residents had to go and
add a whole other level to their nightmare. Literally, an underground level
built by the marauding First Settlers to help aid them in their kidnapping hobbies.

Underneath Millers Point in the
historic Rocks area there are (apparently) numerous convict-built tunnels.
These were used to smuggle people out and booze in and have been linked to The Hero of Waterloo pub.

And apparently there is an underground lake below St James Station filled with albino eels where secret military training
ops are held. (sv1ambo/Flickr)

Brisbane River crocs

Having an actual herd of ferocious bull sharks populating your local river is too passé for Brisbane residents.
They need something a little more terrifying. Australia's hardcore like that.

For decades, residents of
Brisbane have delighted in maintaining that the river on which they built their
fair city is the home to a monster crocodile the likes of which would take a
healthy chunk out of an Indominus rex. Considering that they're known to hang about beaches like your average surfie, this doesn't seem too far of a
stretch so the strangest thing about this urban myth is that it's not true…(Tambako
The Jaguar/Flickr)

The hieroglyphs of Gosford

One of the functions of an urban
legend is to impart a sense of importance of the region; to let people know
that Things Happen in your sleepy part of the neighbourhood. But telling your
friends that Ancient Egyptian sailors came to your local beach and carved some
casual hieroglyphs? That's a bit of a stretch.

The Gosford Glyphs were found carved into sandstone walls back in 1970 and were
immediately debunked by experts. But that doesn't stop amateur sleuths
attempting to prove their authenticity despite the fact that they're in near
pristine condition in comparison to the almost entirely eroded, 250 year old
Indigenous petroglyphs nearby. (Facebook)

Crown Casino morgue

Before they cement any nuptials,
James Packer should probably let Mariah in on the murky mysteries of his
beloved Melbourne Casino…

According to local legend, the
Crown Casino is home to its own morgue. Thanks to a relatively high rate of
elderly patrons who tend to die (as old people do) the Casino built an in-house
morgue to quietly accommodate the bodies. The Casino has constantly denied its
existence, but that hasn't stopped the
pesky rumours. We're not saying we believe it either, but someone call
Mariah's people and let her know she needs to read the pre-nup. (Jamesbehave/Wikimedia Commons)